Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles is the place to be. Don't take our word for it (but if you do, we recommend the Stubby). Ask Estelle Swaray. That's where the 28-year-old British soul sensation bumped into Kanye West and John Legend a few years ago. Together, they scored one of this summer's biggest singles, "American Boy." Estelle's second album, "Shine," also features collaborations with Mark Ronson, Cee-Lo Green and will.i.am - although we forgot to ask the names of the fine-dining establishments where she met them. Fortunately, she answered the questions we did ask. Estelle appears Wednesday at the Independent.

A: I have no say on Kanye's whole fashion or any of his decisions. He just liked it, so he wore it. He looked good.

Q:You famously met him and John Legend outside of Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. How did that happen?

A: It was one of these situations where it couldn't happen any other way. You don't walk up to Kanye West or a big star in a situation like that and have them in the studio six years later. Again, I think it happened for a reason. It made a lot of people happy. If I hadn't met him when I met him, this wouldn't have happened. So everything happens for a reason.

Q:I've been hanging out around the KFC by my house a lot lately, but nothing like that ever happens to me.

A: Really?

Q:Yes. Where do you live now?

A: I moved to New York a year ago.

Q:Do you like it?

A: Hell, yeah. It's insanely fun here. There's always something to do. It's really ridiculous. You think it has to stop at some point, you know, and it never does. Which is also fun.

Q:Do you miss anything about London?

A: Sometimes the food. Sometimes Topshop (a clothing store). That's my real "Aw, I wish I was at home" moment. Other than that, it's fine. There's nothing crazily different. I'm used to traveling. I'm used to being in different areas of the world. Home is where my suitcase lands.

Q:It must be nice to get away from the tabloids that take everything you say and turn it into a big feud with some other singer, like Adele and Duffy.

A: Well, they're going to do that anyway. I never feel that far away from the tabloids.

Q:Do you get in trouble for speaking your mind?

A: I don't think I get in trouble. I think, at the least, people respect me. The people at my label are always endorsing what I say. They say, "You see the truth, so speak it." They believe in me. They respect my opinion. At least I have an opinion, and I'm not trying to play it safe. I don't go around saying, "I think everyone is great and the world is fantastic." Everyone has opinions. They just don't say it.

Q:That's clearly an asset.

A: It's what makes me me. It's what makes me my mother's daughter.

Q:When you released your first album, you were wearing T-shirts and hoodies. Are you more comfortable in heels and miniskirts?

A: Have you seen me perform? When you see me, you let me know. I'm comfortable, definitely. I actually came to the label how I wanted to look. I just decided to finally do it onstage, and now everyone is, like, "Oh, my God. She wears skirts!"

Q:How is your pursuit of an American boy going?

A: It's ongoing. It's fun to date, though.

Q:Do you have the time?

A: You find time, don't you? Otherwise there would be no love songs, no material.